YELLOWSTONE NATIONAL PARK — A 21-year-old visitor to Yellowstone National Park (YNP) has been sentenced to seven days in jail after departing the boardwalk at Steamboat Geyser, according to an announcement by the United States Attorney’s Office, District of Wyoming.
Viktor Pyshniuk, of Lynwood, Washington, was also placed on two years of unsupervised release, and he’s been banned from the park for two years. The court ordered him to pay a fine of $1,500, plus a $30 court processing fee and $20 special assessment.
Court documents state that a YNP law enforcement officer was called to Steamboat Geyser by a park employee who saw someone walking off of the boardwalk. Pyshniuk had crossed over a fence and was walking up a hillside within 15 to 20 feet of the geyser’s steam vent, according to the announcement. When approached, Pyshniuk reportedly said he had left the boardwalk to take pictures. The officer pointed out to him the signs posted in the area, which state that it is illegal to leave the boardwalk due to the dangers of the thermal features. The statement refers to the offense as “thermal trespass.”
The sentence was imposed on Tuesday, June 4 by Magistrate Judge Stephanie A. Hambrick. She said the three-foot-high fence around the boardwalk is a clear sign that the area is closed.
In her sentencing, she noted that the sentence “was designed to deter him, specifically, but also the public from leaving the boardwalk in this area,” according to the Attorney’s Office. “She expressed her concern that the defendant’s actions were seen by the people around him, and they might have thought it was okay to do the same thing. And if every visitor to YNP disobeyed the rules, the park would be destroyed, and no one would be able to enjoy it.”
The announcement highlighted Steamboat Geyser’s status as the world’s tallest active geyser, and also mentioned its unpredictability. According to YNP, time between eruptions can range from a few days to several years.
“Trespassing in closed, thermal areas of Yellowstone National Park is dangerous and harms the natural resource,” Acting United States Attorney Eric Heimann said in a statement. “In cases like this one where we have strong evidence showing a person has willfully disregarded signs and entered a closed, thermal area, federal prosecutors will seek significant penalties, including jail time.”
The case was investigated by YNP law enforcement officers and prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Ariel Calmes.
